Lost For Words
by fallingxforwardx
Summary: When tragedy struck her life, three year old Katy Duran stopped speaking. One year later, she meets Loren, an aspiring song writer with her own tragic past. Together they embark on a path of healing and of love as Katy finally feels a mother's touch and Loren begins to fall for Eddie, Katy's devoted father.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**They tell me it's nice this time of year****  
****down on earth,****but my head's been in the clouds****  
****I'm acting weird and lost for words.**

"_I'm flying!" Rose gasps, there is nothing but the Atlantic water filling her line of vision allowing the illusion that there is no ship, no confines, no rules, she is simply soaring. She is free. The world unfolding as she flies forward under the copper sky._

_The wind blows the cool air from the icy water upwards, but Rose leans forward anyway, arching her back as Jack's hands hold her waist, steadying her. Soon his chin rests gently on her shoulder, his lips inching closer to her ear as he softly sings "Come Josephine in my flying machine__, __going up she goes, up she goes."_

_As Rose smiles, having delved deep into a world of content, she leans back further into Jack's arms. He leans forward, complementing her movements as he lifts his arms, his fingertips meeting hers and slowly intertwining, caressing, like the bodies of two lovers._

_Slowly, Rose turns her head, her eyes focused, not on his, but rather his full, slightly parted lips. Together, they lower their arms, Rose turning a little more, her head tilting until she is able to find his lips with hers. His arms encircle her, embracing her in a moment of forbidden intimacy. Finally, they have given in, inviting in the inevitable as they kiss with slow, tumultuous and burning passion. Right there and then they are the only two people in the world, soaring over the waves._

Shifting her eyes away from the television and throwing the empty box of tissues to the side, Chloe brought the bottle of vodka back to her lips. The last, few drops of the heinous liquid coating her throat, the world now spinning; her vision now corrupted.

It was one mistake, she told herself over and over again. One mistake that had cost her everything and tonight, as she signed on the dotted line, consenting to the end of her marriage, the tears began and they were still streaming down her face. She feared they would never stop.

Then she jumped, the sound of the shattered bottle at her feet startling her. She hadn't realized she had lost hold of the bottle. She hadn't felt it slip from her grasp the way Eddie had, the way her world had. _One mistake_, she repeated in her head for the thousandth time.

Wiping her tears away, she slowly slid the terrace door open and stepped out into the warmth of the summer night. Closing her eyes, she imagined what was happening back home at that moment. Undoubtedly, Eddie was tucking Katy into bed, singing her a lullaby as he tugged on the blankets, bringing them up to her chin. And Katy had probably already closed her eyes as her daddy's voice filled the room, acting as a beacon of light in the darkness, scaring away the monsters and trolls that hid beneath her bed and inside her closet. Perhaps, she was asking where Chloe was…where her mommy was. Perhaps Katy had already fallen asleep.

With those thoughts racing through her mind, Chloe stepped up onto the rail of the gate on the terrace, her eyes still closed, as she lifted her arms, the low howl of the wind blowing her hair back and away from her face giving off the slight illusion that she, like Rose, was flying. She was soaring.

Leaning forward into the fantasy, Chloe could almost feel Eddie's hands gripping her waist like Jack had gripped, Rose's. Clenching her hands into fists, she imagined Eddie's fingers intertwining with hers. And then, she turned her head quickly, seeing Eddie's face in the back of her mind as his lips inched closer to hers but that action sent her off balance and suddenly, Chloe was flying. But now, it wasn't a fantasy and it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Chloe was falling, every second coming closer and closer to the gravel paved road until every thought she had ever had, quickly vanished into the abyss, gone forever.

**Authors Note: I know I'm throwing you all in blindly to this story but everything will unravel in due time. As stated this is the prologue, it's not an actual chapter which is why it's so short but it's a key event. The prologue sets the rest of the story in motion. **

**For those of you interested in knowing, the inspiration for this story was the song Mars, more specifically the lyrics I posted above. For some reason those lyrics haunted me and slowly this story kind of began writing itself. **

**Please review, favourite and follow! Those notices make my day!**

**Stay Classy,**

**-Tia**


	2. Coming Home Again

**One Year Later**

Loren Tate sat in the middle of her now empty New York apartment, looking around at what the last eight years of her life had resulted in. An empty accumulation of broken dreams, crushed hopes and wounded pride that all seemed to slip through her fingers as quickly and as easily as sand runs through the hour glass. It wasn't supposed to end like this. She wasn't supposed to feel like this.

The sound of her taxi honking outside her apartment window shook her from her thoughts and she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder before making her way to the door. For a moment, her eyes lingered back inside the room, taking in the sight one last time but then the taxi honked again and she pulled herself away from the tiny Brooklyn apartment. Closing the door on the place she had just begun to call home.

Seeing that Loren had no luggage, the taxi driver opened the backseat door for her, closing it only after she had slid inside. As he made his way to the driver's seat, Loren pulled her phone out pressing number one on her speed dial.

"Hello?" The familiar voice sent an instant wave of comfort through Loren's otherwise unnerved self.

"Hey mom, it's me."

Nora's breath of relief rang out like a church bell, loud and all too obvious "Are you on your way to the airport?"

Reaching across her person, Loren grabbed the seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Yeah, I'm in the taxi now. I just wanted to call and let you know."

Across the country, sitting on a bar stool with a calculator and expense books laid out in front of her, Nora Tate held her phone with one hand, the other resting its fingertips on her forehead. Finally, her baby was coming home but instead of the bright eyed and hopeful girl that had left eight years ago, she was coming home broken and battered and bruised. Her hard work seemingly for nothing and regardless of Nora's relentless questions, Loren stayed mute. Whatever had happened was staying in New York. 'It's for the best' Loren had assured Nora in regards to her ignorance. Nora strongly disagreed.

"Did all of your furniture sell?" Nora inquired.

"Yeah" Loren replied, her voice a little distant and not just because of the thousands of miles between them. "That guy came for the television this morning." There were some muffled voices on Loren's end before her voice once again filled the receiver "I've got to get going mom but I'll call as soon as I touch down in L.A."

Dropping her hand from her forehead, Nora rested it on the bar counter "Is Mel still getting you?"

"Yup, I talked to her this morning. Apparently she has some important news to tell me anyway, she was practically jumping through the phone with excitement."

Nora let out an amused laugh "Well don't get your hopes up, Mel gets excited whenever she gets to push a button."

Loren laughed as well "She seemed pretty sincere this time but I promise not to throw confetti until I know what the news is. I've got to go though, Mom."

"Alright, be safe."

"I will, I love you."

"I love you too." And with that, both women hung up their phones.

Nora let out an unsteady breath as someone rested a hand on her shoulder "Everything alright?"

Turning her head in the direction of the familiar voice belonging to her new boss, Nora allowed an easy smile to spread onto her lips "Yeah, my daughter's flying home today actually, so everything's great."

Pulling his brows together, Max eyed Nora curiously "You don't sound overly enthusiastic. Is she just coming for a visit? She lives in New York right?" Max asked as he took a seat on the bar stool next to Nora.

Nodding, Nora wrung her hands together anxiously "She did but umm…I guess some things didn't work out so she's moving back here."

"And this is bad?" Max concluded unsurely.

Nora let out an unsteady sigh "No, it's just that she won't tell me what went wrong and-" Nora stopped suddenly, meeting Max's eyes "I'm sorry, I shouldn't going on about personal things here at work."

Waving his hand around, Max smiled comfortingly at Nora "It's a bar. It's what it's for."

Shaking her head, Nora returned the smile "Before I start spilling my guts to the bartender I may need a few glasses of red wine." She joked.

Shrugging slightly he looked around the club for a moment before setting his sights back on the brunette beauty, gracing his presence. "Well for what it's worth, you're doing a great job here. I know you've only been working here for a few weeks but the place is already running so much smoother and I finally know where all of my money is going. So thank you."

Blushing from the kind compliment, Nora tucked some hair behind her ear "Just doing my job."

"Very well" Max added, refusing to allow Nora to undermine herself.

Suddenly, a quick moving pair of tiny feet echoed against the hardwood floors and Max turned to see his young granddaughter making her way to him as fast as her feet would allow.

When she finally came within her grandpa's reach, Katy was swooped into his arms and steadied on his hip. "How's my little Katy cat?"

Katy smiled brightly into Max's warm brown eyes but then took note of Nora's presence and buried her face in the crook of her grandpa's neck.

"She's a little shy" Max explained, hoping Nora wouldn't take offence.

Nora instantly waved off Max's explanation "When Loren was little she rarely come out from behind my legs around strangers. I understand completely."

Rounding the corner of the club's entrance was Max's son Eddie, his tensed shoulders gradually releasing stress as soon as he saw his daughter in his father's arms. "I barely got her out of the car before she bolted inside." Eddie said as he made his way forward, into the club. "Hi Nora" Eddie greeted kindly as he reached the bar.

"Hi Eddie" Nora replied, before turning back to her work, giving the family some privacy.

Glancing down at his Granddaughter, Max smiled "She's a girl on a mission, always knowing what she wants. Just like her Grandmother was."

Katy lifted her head at the mention of her namesake, her large doe eyes silently questioning for more.

Noticing this, Max sat back down on the stool setting Katy down on his lap "Your Grandma was just as restless and free spirited as you Katy. She once jumped out of a plane just to see what it would be like." Katy's eyes widened at the sheer thought of it. "Your Grandpa was too chicken" Max admitted "and Grandma Katy never let me forget it."

At that, Katy's small, thin lips turned upwards.

Lifting his eyes to meet Eddie's, Max instantly guessed the reason for his son's appearance "You need me to watch her?"

Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Eddie nodded "Lia called in sick this morning and I have a bunch of meetings I have to get to."

"I'm always happy to watch Katy, you know that." Max kissed the top of Katy's head. "But don't you have a backup plan in case your nanny gets sick?" Eddie offered a weary smile and it dawned on Max "I'm your backup plan."

"Lia's the only one who has stuck around. Every other nanny I've hired quits before the end of the week." Katy's head lowered, she knew the past year had been hard on her dad and she knew, in her own mind, that she become a bit of a burden.

Kneeling below her level, Eddie lifted her chin, their identical eyes staring into each other "None of that is your fault, okay sweetie?" Her lack of response worried Eddie. "Katy?"

Max bounced the four year old on his knee in one sudden movement "She's just too wonderful for them to handle."

A giggle escaped past the little girl's lips as she gave a short nod in reply to Max's words.

Eddie stood, kissing the top of his daughter's head. "I've got to go meet Jake. I should be back around seven?"

Max nodded, "Katy and I will be fine, right Katy cat?"

Another short nod from Katy and a diamond like twinkle in her eye was all the reassurance that Eddie needed. "I love you" he said, blowing his little girl a kiss.

Katy reached her hand out into the air and pretended to catch the kiss, placing it in the pocket of her dress before blowing a kiss to her daddy who did the same. Placing the kiss in the pocket of his leather jacket, Eddie headed for the door.

Once Eddie was out of sight, Max turned back to Nora who was working away at balancing the books. "Katy" he caressed the little girl's name, "this is Nora," at the sound of her name Nora lifted her head and smiled sweetly at Katy who had leaned back against her grandpa's chest, shyly. "She's part of the MK family now, like Grace. You like Grace, right?"

Looking up at her grandfather, Katy nodded and then looked back at Nora, studying her for a moment.

"Hi Katy" Nora titled her head as Katy scanned her features then offered a little wave.

"I think your colouring books are still behind the counter. Do you want to grab them?" Max asked as he lowered Katy onto the ground.

Katy ran behind the counter, finding her colouring books and pencil crayons in record time and then darted to one of the booths, lifting herself onto the seat, propping herself up on her knees and leaning against the table as she opened a zoo animal colouring book and began colouring in a pink monkey.

"They went through nine nannies in less than two months before finding Lia." Max sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't think the agency is going to keep sending people over if Lia doesn't work out."

Shifting her eyes from Max to Katy and back again, Nora's brows creased "She doesn't seem like a handful."

"She's not" Max agreed, "but she hasn't spoken a word since her mother's death last year and so most people find it frustrating when they try to communicate with her. They don't understand why she doesn't just start talking again."

Empathy instantly washed over Nora, a worried expression softening her features as she glanced back at the four year old girl. "Poor thing."

* * *

After six hours in the air, Loren finally put her feet firmly on the ground as she stepped off the plane, letting out a deep breath. She was home, and that knowledge, as comforting as it was, only reminded her of everything she had left behind. However, as she made her way to baggage claim, the familiarity of the air surrounding her seemed to encircle her, hugging her, welcoming her home to the city of dreams.

"Lo!" Having been staring at her feet as she walked through the airport, she hadn't noticed the vibrantly dressed woman standing in the middle of the crowded area.

Her head quickly snapped upwards, her eyes taking in the sight of her best friend, wearing a pair of pink leggings and a yellow tank top with large statement earrings, who was waving her arms high in the air trying to get Loren's attention.

Allowing her entire body to relax, Loren took off towards Melissa, hiking her purse higher on her shoulder before throwing her arms around her best friend, the force almost causing Melissa to lose her footing. "I missed you!" Loren exclaimed, tightening her hold.

"I missed you too" Melissa cried, "three months without seeing each other is officially the worst idea we've ever had. I vote we never do that again."

"Agreed," Loren nodded on Melissa's shoulder.

Finally pulling away as both of them wiping away their tears, they linked their arms together heading towards the door. "You don't have any luggage?" Melissa asked; curiosity and confusion laced through her words.

Loren shook her head "I shipped all of my stuff to my mom," then she patted her purse "I have a change of clothes in here and that's it."Melissa said nothing else as the two girls made their way outside and to Melissa's car but as they climbed inside, remembrance struck Loren and she turned to Melissa "Wait, this morning you said that there was something you wanted to tell me?"

A Cheshire cat grin grew onto Melissa's face as she turned her body towards Loren, holding up her left hand. "I'm getting married." Bestowed on Melissa's left hand was a white gold diamond ring. The small diamonds sprinkled around the band were highlighted by its unique and interwoven design, the curved lines giving off the illusion that the ring flowed around her finger. It was beautiful and unique. It was perfect. It was Melissa.

Awestruck, Loren looked from the ring to Melissa and back again then took Melissa's hand in the hand not covering her gaping mouth. "You're getting married" she breathed out in a whisper.

Melissa nodded ecstatically, "It happened last night! We were watching When Harry Met Sally and out of the blue Adam popped the question!" Loren looked up into Melissa's eyes, asking a voiceless question. "I thought he was kidding, I mean you know Adam, always the prankster but then he reached into his back pocket and pulled the ring out. He had been planning to ask for months."

Running her thumb along the interwoven design, Loren's eyes began to fill with tears and eventually she was forced to pull her hand away from the admirable ring and wipe her cascading tears away. It was the first time, Loren realized, in a long time that her tears were ones of joy. Her best friend was getting married. "I'm so happy for you!" She pulled Melissa in for another hug and let out a giddy laugh. Soon both women's shoulders were shaking with laughter as their mascara began to run down their cheeks, staining their excitement.

It was ten minutes later when Melissa had dried her tears and was on the road, on their way to Loren's childhood home. The conversation flowed, as it always did between the two best friends. Melissa, incapable of remaining silent for more than five minutes was already planning her wedding aloud, dubbing Loren her Maid of Honor. Occasionally, Melissa would ask about Times Square at night and the fabulous New York fashion, everything but the one thing she really wanted to discuss. The one thing Loren planned to never speak of again.

It was nearly five o'clock when they pulled up in front of the house and everything appeared to be the same. The same flowers lined the edge of the house, the same bench sat on the front lawn, the same stupid lawn gnome Loren had painted as a child stood on the front step, smoking a pipe.

As Loren climbed out of the car and took a few steps towards the house, she was hit with an odd sense of relief. She was really, truly home. It was real. Two blocks away was the playground where she had fallen off the monkey bars and broken her arm when she was six. Under the oven were the pot lids she had banged together when she was three after watching a parade and admiring the cymbal player who lead the marching band. And next door, lived an elderly couple Mr. and Mrs. Dressels who once had a dog named Barker, a short and stout bulldog whom Melissa had fed her Chemistry homework to in tenth grade. Her teacher had laughed so hard at Melissa's excuse that she simply gave her full marks for the assignment. Loren would never forget that. She would also never forget the day Barker passed. It was three days after their high school graduation. Melissa and Loren sat in Loren's yard with Ben and Jerry in complete silence, picturing the little devil digging in Nora's flower bed and chasing his tail in circles.

Loren turned her key in the keyhole, opening the rusty hinged door and pushed it open. Aside from a few added picture frames, everything was exactly as she had left it.

"Huh."

"What?" Melissa asked as she came up the front steps behind her and peeked into the house.

Loren turned to Melissa, her shoulders rising to her ears before dropping as she shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that everything is the same. It's like the last eight years never happened."

Following Loren further into the house, Melissa closed the door and switched the lights on, casting away the shadows. "Maybe that's a good thing?"

Loren stilled, breathing in the meaning of Melissa's words before tossing her purse on the couch and lowering herself to sit on the arm of it. She didn't reply to Melissa's comment. In her eyes there was nothing to left to say. _It's like the last eight years never happened. _Her words echoed in her mind as if having been shouted into the confines of a small cave.

"Lo, maybe now that you're home, you could talk to someone?" Melissa suggested, her words expelling slowly, testing the waters.

"Have you decided what your wedding colours are going to be?" Loren wasted no time taking a sharp left turn, unwilling or not quite ready to discuss what Melissa so obviously felt needed to be dealt with.

Knowing her friend well, Melissa dropped the subject. "I want red to be one of the colours for sure. Adam doesn't seem all that focused on the details of the wedding yet, he wants to savor being engaged first."

"He does know who he's marrying, right?" Both women laughed at the all true comment. Melissa had been planning her wedding since age seven when she watched as Aladdin and Jasmine wed at the end of King of Thieves.

As Loren made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge, Melissa pulled her phone out of her purse after hearing the beep alerting her of a text message. Letting out a deep sigh, Melissa sat into her hip "Apparently Adam set the smoke alarm off."

"Adam was trying to cook?" The very thought had Loren shaking where she stood. "I thought he failed Home Ec the first time he took it?"

Melissa cringed "He did." She looked up from her phone with an apologetic look latching to her features "I should go and make sure he doesn't burn the house down. Are you going to be okay?"

Loren rolled her eyes at what she deemed, unnecessary concern. "I'll be fine, go save your house. How's that going by the way? Living with your boyfr- I mean fiancée." Loren shook her head, a smile reaching her lips "It's going to take me a while to get used to that."

Throwing her phone back into her purse, Melissa walked to the kitchen table, taking a seat across from where Loren had just sat. "It's amazing" she confessed. "We're learning so much about each other and since we don't have to worry about anyone walking in on us anymore the sex has become incredible! I never would have thought that Adam could be so-"

Loren held her hand up, bringing Melissa to a sudden halt "On second thought, never mind." Then she grabbed her glass of orange juice, bringing it to her lips.

Another beep sounded from inside of Melissa's purse and she dug it out before letting out a dramatic sigh. "I should really go, if I leave now I might actually have a house to return to."

"What did he do now?"

"Apparently the microwave overheated and he heard a pop sound from inside of it."

Loren raised her eyebrows "Did he blow a fuse?"

Standing, and throwing her purse over her shoulder, Melissa shrugged "I'm not sure but I'd really like to go find out."

"Okay, well call me tomorrow or something. We can go for coffee."

A beautiful smile washed over Melissa's worried face, "I'd love that" she said as she made her way to the door. Just before she closed the door behind her, she looked back. "Loren?"

Loren had just begun making her way to the sink, to wash her now empty glass when Melissa's voice caught her attention. "Welcome home."

* * *

"_The wheels on the bus go around and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town." _Max sang, allowing his voice to go as low as it could as Katy let the last note ring out on the far end of the piano.

Then, as her fingers lifted from the instrument a pair of hands began clapping from behind them. "Encore!" Nora shouted. Max took Katy's hand, pulling her to the edge of the stage and took a bow before stepping back allowing Katy to curtsey, which she did while wearing a giant smile. "That was amazing Katy, you must practice all of the time." Katy nodded. "Do you want to be a musician like your daddy?" Katy nodded again and then as she caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye, she beamed; her smile and eyes becoming bright enough to light up the nighttime sky.

Katy jumped down from the stage and took off as fast as her little feet would carry her. Max and Nora followed the little girl's sprint as she ran into her daddy's arms, tightly wrapping her short arms around his neck as he lifted her to his eye level. "Hi sweetie" Eddie cradled the back of her head as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did you have a good day with Grandpa?"

Eddie felt her nod and as she pulled away she pointed to Nora, that same brightening smile on her face.

Seeing Katy's action, Eddie smiled "Did you make a new friend?" Katy nodded as she wiggled her way out of her daddy's arms and was placed firmly back on the ground. Then she took off behind the bar counter, grabbing her colouring book and then made her way back to Eddie, holding the book up to him and slowly counted her fingers before holding up eight of them.

"Page eight?" Eddie asked. Katy nodded. Eddie flipped the book open, turning the pages until he came across the eighth page of the colouring book where he saw a picture of two turtles, one green turtle coloured perfectly inside the lines and an orange turtle, with a few strokes of colour reaching over the black lined barrier. "Wow, Katy! Did you and Nora colour this picture together?" Katy smiled as she looked up at the older woman who was smiling down at her.

"We had fun today, didn't we Katy?" Nora asked the child beside her who stood barely over three feet tall. "Katy showed me how she plays piano and I showed her how I don't." Katy laughed at that. Nora then looked at Eddie, "She's very good by the way. I guess that's in the genes though."

Smiling down proudly at his daughter, Eddie took her hand "Maybe but she still practices all of the time. She loves music, right Katy?"

Katy held one hand out to the side and used the other to move in an up and down motion in front of her stomach, miming the action of playing a guitar.

Max laughed "That's right. I promised her that on her fifth birthday I'd buy her a Katy sized guitar and teach her how to play it."

"Is that right?" Eddie asked, glancing down at his daughter who was smiling up at him and gave a sharp nod. "What's next then, the drums?"

Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Katy shrugged, her elbows bent and palms flat and facing upwards towards the ceiling.

"You don't know? Well do you know what you want for dinner?" Katy shook her head. "Do you want pizza?" Katy tilted her head once again, looking up at the ceiling as she thought but then looked up at her dad shaking her head. "Do you want enchiladas?" She shook her head again. "What about Mac and cheese?" Shake. "Stir fry?" Shake "Spaghetti with garlic bread?" With wide eyes and a mischievous smile the little girl nodded. "Of course, you want the messy food" Eddie laughed. "Do you want to help me make it?" The smile faltered and changed into a sincerely excited grin as she took her daddy's hand and nodded her head quickly many times. "Well then, we should get going so we can make it. Can you say goodbye to Grandpa and Nora?"

Katy dropped Eddie's hand and run over to Max, throwing her arms around his legs. Max bent down to Katy's level and gave her a proper hug after she unlatched her arms. "You have a good night Katy cat. Promise me you'll come see me again soon okay?" Katy gave one short nod before pressing her lips to Max's cheek.

Then, Katy turned to Nora and waved, saying goodbye. "Goodnight Katy" Nora said as she watched the four year old once again take her daddy's hand.

"Goodnight you guys." Eddie said as he and Katy started towards the door.

"Goodnight." Nora's and Max's voices rang out as one in perfect synchronization as Eddie and Katy disappeared around the corner and seconds later out into the night.

At the sound of the door closing Nora turned to Max, a pleasant smile on her lips. "She is absolutely adorable."

Max nodded as a prideful smile spread across his face "She's the light of my life, and Eddie's." Then he looked slightly curious "She seemed to take an instant liking to you, which is strange for her, she's usually very shy around strangers."

"She was at first, you saw that" Nora began "but eventually she just kind of warmed up to me." Nora tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder "What can I say? It's the Tate girl charm."

"Well, thank you for spending the afternoon with her, I think she liked being around another girl."

Confusion came over Nora, "Doesn't she spend a lot of time with her nanny?"

Max made his way over to the booth where Katy had been sitting for most of the afternoon and began picking up her pencil crayons and the other colouring books she had been using. "Honestly, Eddie doesn't like to use the nanny too often. If he can, he'll take Katy to his meetings with him. She doesn't like being left alone with anyone she hasn't known her whole life. Eddie, Eddie's manager Jake and myself are really the only people that fall into that category. I mean she knows Grace but not very well. The few times a week when Eddie does leave Katy with Lia, she'll just sit the piano all day or solve a puzzle."

"She's more relaxed when family is close by" Nora concluded.

Max paused for a moment, glancing behind himself at Nora "Her mother died suddenly, Katy never got to say goodbye."

Nora gave a tight lipped smile "I read the articles" she admitted, though thoroughly embarrassed by the admittance as it was made. "I know Chloe fell off of that hotel terrace. That must have been horrible for Katy."

"Ever since then, Katy has hated not being near her family at all hours of the day. Even being with Lia is like being with a stranger for Katy, and they've known each other for months."

"She's scared to get close to anyone" Nora realized as her heart broke for the little girl.

"Not many four year olds have to mend broken hearts" Max explained.

Nora gave a sympathetic and yet knowing smile "They shouldn't have to."

"No. They shouldn't." After taking a quick look around the club Max caught Nora's eye, "You know what, why don't you head home early? Go see your daughter." Sensing that Nora was about to protest Max offered up a simple, pleasant smile "Go see your daughter" he said again.

Nora smiled and nodded before grabbing her binder, pencil and calculator off of the bar counter. Just as she was leaving she turned back around, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes "Thank you Max." Max smiled and watched as Nora left.

* * *

"Are my eyes and nose deceiving me or has my daughter actually baked?" Nora asked as she stepped through the door, the sweet aroma of cinnamon cookies filling her senses.

Loren turned around, having just pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven. "Ha ha very funny" she said as she pulled the oven mitt off and grabbed one of the cookies off of the cooling rack and walked up to her mother, handing it to her. "They're actually really good. My neighbor back in New York was this sweet little old lady and was always baking. She gave me a few of her recipes before I left."

Loren stepped back into the kitchen as Nora took a bite of the cookie and moaned as the taste lit her taste buds on fire. "Oh my god" she mumbled, her mouth still full "that's amazing."

"I know" Loren grabbed one of the cookies for herself. "Apparently she used to own a bakery in Soho but she closed it when her husband died. She never stopped experimenting though."

"What was her name?"

"Charlotte, but she made everyone in the building call her Letty." Loren followed as her mom began making her way over to the couch, both Tate women sitting with their bodies turned towards one another, their legs tucked underneath them. "So how was work?" There was suggestive tone to Loren's voice that made Nora eye her disapprovingly "What?"

Shaking her head, Nora pulled one of the pillows to her chest then reached to the back of the couch, pulling the blanket down and on top of them both. "First of all, Max is my boss, period and second of all, I actually met little Katy Duran today."

Loren perked up slightly "Really? What was she like?"

Nora smiled "She looked so much Katy, her grandmother I mean and she was really sweet, a little broken but that's to be expected after what she's been through."

Resting her elbow on the back of the couch and her head in the palm of her head, Loren gave a sympathetic smile "I think it's pretty admirable that Eddie's kept her out of the press since Chloe died."

Considering the words for a moment, Nora shrugged "Something tells me it was never Eddie who wanted her in the press, I think it was Chloe. Eddie seems pretty protective of her."

Loren shook her head from the topic of their conversation "I can't believe we're having a conversation about the Duran family. I can't believe you know the Duran's. How did you pull this job off anyway? Was it just listed in the paper or something?"

Nora shook her head "After Don and I broke up I quit the clinic and needed a new job, obviously and a woman I go to yoga with, Harriet, her daughter is friends with Grace, one of the bartenders at MK. Harriet told me MK was looking for a manager so I stopped in one day, handed my resume in and was hired a few days later."

"Just like that" Loren stated incredulously.

"Just like that" Nora nodded.

"So have you slept with him yet?"

Nora's eyes widened and she suddenly thanked the stars for the fact that she wasn't drinking anything in that moment. "Loren!"

"What?" Loren laughed at her mother's reaction "You've had a crush on him since you were seventeen! It's not an outrageous question."

"He's my boss" Nora stressed.

Loren rose an eyebrow "That didn't stop you with Don." A pillow then flew at Loren's face and she let out a shriek.

Nora had a gaping expression on her face "I can't believe you went there." A chuckle then erupted from the older woman's chest.

Catching her breath from her own fit of laughter, Loren set the pillow on the ground. "I missed you Mom." Her voice was quiet but in the one floor home it rang out like a million chimes in the wind, circulating the statement around the room, again and again.

Nora turned to her daughter, tears threatening to fall "What happened there Lo?"

Loren shook her head as Nora brought her into her arms and together they cried. What happened didn't matter. Right there, right then, they were together, holding one another, mother and daughter safe in each other's arms.

* * *

As Eddie reached for the lamp, Katy's small hand wrapped around his wrist and his eyes dropped to hers, her large doe eyes slightly pleading as she pulled the blankets up to her chin and glanced towards her closet, sinking further into the bed.

Eddie smiled weakly, defeated from the long day, ready to fall into a deep dream state. "Do you want me to check your closet?"

Katy pulled the blanket up further so that it was now covering her nose as she nodded.

"Okay" Eddie kissed his daughter's forehead and rose from his knees to his feet as he made his way to the little's girl's large walk in closet. He pulled the double doors open and stepped inside, switching on the light. "No monsters, goblins or ghouls" Eddie said as he switched the light off and pulled the doors closed behind him.

Katy brought her two index fingers together above her head, creating a triangle

Eddie shook his head "No, no witches either. I promise."

Katy smiled as she inhaled deeply then exhaled all of her fear.

Taking hold of the bedroom door knob, Eddie turned back towards the room, Katy watching his every move as she held tightly onto her stuffed elephant. "I love you Katy." He blew her a kiss. She caught it, placing it over her heart and then blew her own kiss which Eddie caught as well and placed over his own heart. "Goodnight sweetheart." With that he closed the door. Minutes later Katy was asleep, dreaming of the elephants she saw as she ventured through an African safari.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Lost for Words and have fallen madly in love with Katy like I have. She'll only tighten her grasp on your heart as the story continues. **

**And because I know I'm bound to get these questions from many of you (one of you has already asked) Loren and Katy will meet in chapter 2, Loren and Eddie will meet in chapter 3. I needed to build a little bit of a background before I brought the main characters together. **

**Thank you so much for reading! Please review, favourite and follow as always!**

**Stay Classy!**

**-Tia**


	3. Treasure

As Lia made her way up the front steps of the Duran house she separated her ponytail into two sections and pulled them apart, tightening the elastic that held her thin blonde hair in the plain style. She had been wearing it the same way since high school when she had made starting lineup on the girls' basketball team her freshmen year. Since then, she supposed, it had become a habit similar to brushing her teeth or making her bed.

As she studied her reflection in the door window, she took note of her slender nose and high cheek bones, qualities she had often been complimented upon but rarely took notice of. Now, it seemed as if her appearance was all she could focus on. In the last few months, for the first time in years, she had taken to wearing makeup, though hardly any. A dab of pink lip gloss shimmered on her lips, a touch of mascara made her lashes extend and a brush of blush gave a softening effect to her angular jaw line and while she hated to admit it, she knew it was all for Eddie.

Lia straightened herself before ringing the doorbell. Seconds later, Eddie pulled the door open, his signature smile bright and inviting; the kind of smile that left girls weak in the knees and picking their hearts up off the floor. "Hey Lia, come on in." He swiftly moved aside letting her inside and then closed the door behind her. "How has your morning been so far?" He asked as he led her further into the house and towards the kitchen.

"Good, traffic was a little hectic but I really shouldn't be surprised by that anymore." As they came into the kitchen, Lia saw Katy sitting at the island on a stool which Eddie had undoubtedly helped her up onto.

At the sound of Lia's voice, Katy's eyes shot up from her bowl of Cheerios. Katy's expression remained neutral, not frowning, not smiling, simply acknowledging. "How long have you lived in L.A. for?" As Eddie grabbed Lia's attention once more, Katy dropped her gaze and went back to eating her breakfast.

"Three years" Lia replied as she set her purse down on the stool beside Katy. "So I really should be used to L.A. traffic by now."

Eddie shrugged her words off "I don't think you ever really get used to it." Eddie then walked to the kitchen counter grabbing his phone and tucking it into his back pocket. "So what do you two have planned for today?"

Katy looked up knowing that the question was meant for her as well and met Lia's eyes, waiting for the answer. "Whatever Katy wants to do" was not the reply she had been hoping for. "We could have a tea party." Lia suggested at which Katy shook her head, "What about finger painting?" Katy shook her head once again.

"Why don't you two go to the park?" Eddie's eyes were set firmly on his daughter "Lia could push you on the swings and you could bring your bucket and shovel and build a sand castle." Katy considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding and lifting her bowl to her lips to drink the remaining milk.

A few minutes later, Eddie gathered his things and shifted through his coat pocket to find his keys. Then, he placed a kiss on the top of his daughter's head. Katy turned to him instantly reaching her short arms out for him and he took her into an embrace. Katy buried her face in the crook of her daddy's neck, her arms wrapped tightly around him, her hands grasping her forearms to keep herself locked to him. "Daddy's got to go sweetie." Katy remained still, pretending not to hear him. "The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come home okay? And besides, I think you'll have a lot of fun with Lia today."

Katy slowly lifted her head, her pleading eyes looking directly into Eddie's. Then she turned, glancing quickly at Lia. In truth, Lia had always been good to Katy. Occasionally she would lose her patience with the four-year old, unsure of how to communicate and get through to her, but she was, for the most part, kind. Still, Katy found herself shying away from the older girl.

"You should get going you don't want to be late." Sensing Katy's sudden lenience, Lia held her arms out for the small child "We'll be fine."

After placing a kiss on the tip of Katy's nose, Eddie handed her over to Lia knowing that Lia's words held a weighted truth. As he walked to the door, Katy was sitting on Lia's hip watching his every move but she didn't cry, she never cried. She simply stared as Eddie turned the knob, pulling the door open and caught his kiss as he blew it towards her before stepping out of the house.

Slowly, Lia placed Katy on the ground and then bent down to her level. "So we're going to the park?" Katy nodded slowly. "Well then you'd better grab your things and bring me your shoes so I can do them up, okay?" Katy simply turned and walked away to do what she had been told.

Notebook in one hand, shoes in the other; Loren made her way across the beach from the parking lot. It was a typical summer day in California. The sun was high and the sky a perfect light blue hue, not a cloud in sight. Overhead seagulls were flying around in flocks, calling out to one another. Cries and boasts of laughter from young children filled any corners of silence as they ran around collecting handfuls of sparkling sand and shells that had washed up on the shore. Some children appeared to be playing a game with the water, running close towards it as the water receded and then laughing and running away as fast as they could as the water seemed to chase after them.

Running across her path was a yellow Labrador, chasing a Frisbee that his owner had thrown. He jumped nearly three feet in the air to catch it and turned around, taking his time to return the object now caught between his teeth. The dog almost seemed to saunter back with pride.

Down in the shallow parts of the water was an elderly couple holding hands, the man with his pants rolled up to his knees and the woman's sundress slightly trailing it's hem in the ocean water. For a moment they stilled their walk and pecked each other's lips before resuming their stride.

At home, things weren't the way they had once been, Loren thought as she continued her way down the beach, the warm sand between her toes. Before she had left for New York, she was blind to the world, still mystified by everything it had to offer. Back then, she was only eighteen, her largest concerns being her next Pre Calc exam or whether her prom dress should be long or short. Now at twenty six, she was seeing the world through those same light brown eyes but had so much more to relate and compare it to. The world was not as black and white as it had once appeared. Long stretches of grey now appeared evident.

Letting out a relaxing breath, Loren took a seat at the base of a tall palm tree, her back leaning against its trunk as she bent her knees and placed her notebook on her lap, sliding the pen out from inside the coil bind. She had closed the book on one chapter of her life and now it was time to start writing the next.

_Its fifteen nights into October, summer's heat has gone. Autumn's rainbow scene is falling._

Loren skimmed over the words she had written back during her first year in New York. She imagined herself back in Central Park on the bench she had written the song, back when she believed that everything would be okay, even if it didn't seem like it at the time. Back when she had faith. Back when she was able to hold onto hope with every last ounce of strength she possessed.

_The day started off wrong, made a few mistakes while trying something new, and came home crying, my fragile heart racing._

By now she couldn't remember what this line was about and being honest to herself, she no longer cared. How trivial it must have been, she thought.

_One day I'll drift away, weightless in the dream state clouds, weightless from the weight of the world._

What she wouldn't give for that feeling now. Complete and utter weightlessness, a freedom she imagined was so under defined. Did anyone truly know what it meant to be weightless? To have nothing holding you down, nothing sitting on your conscious, no regrets, no secrets, no 'what if's.' Everyone had something, she believed, something that tethered them to the ground, making weightlessness a figment of the imagination.

_Its fifteen nights into October, summer's heat has gone. Autumn's rainbow scene is falling. The day started off wrong, made a few mistakes while trying something new, and came home crying, my fragile heart racing. One day I'll drift away, weightless in the dream state clouds, weightless from the weight of the world._

She sang softly to herself as she tapped her pen on the page. If only it were possible.

Pump, pump, pump. Just as her daddy had taught her, Katy pumped her legs as she held a death grip on the chain link swings, her brown eyes remaining wide to capture every passing, fluffy white cloud above her. _Pretty_, she thought, as a cloud passed overhead, resembling a rose. Katy could vividly remember the last time her daddy had brought roses home. Her mommy left shortly after that. The roses her daddy bought for her mommy were later tossed in the trash. Katy could remember not understanding why. She remembered picking one of the long stemmed roses out of the trash and running upstairs, as fast as she could. She hid the rose under her pillow until the day it finally withered and died.

The memory seemed to turn the white clouds gray in Katy's eyes, and so she jumped from the swing, landing on her knees into the safe confides of the soft sand. Cloud gazing was sometimes fun but today, Katy decided, it wasn't. She dusted her knees off, the small particles of sand falling back into the sand box, and then she started towards a deserted part of the park and sat on the edge of the sand box where she had left her bucket and shovel earlier.

Unsure of what to do, Katy glanced up to look in Lia's direction. Lia had her nose deep a book. Her eyes skimming back and forth quickly before she turned the page. Katy found it funny that Lia liked those kinds of books so much, the ones with all of the words. Katy, herself, preferred the kinds of books with lots and lots of pictures. Those were the books her daddy would read to her and sometimes, when her daddy didn't have to work, the two of them would sit in Katy's room and attempt to copy the pictures from the books. Katy almost always won.

Bored, Katy placed her shovel in her bucket and stood. She looked around for something to do. In the distance she saw a little boy, a little older than her, holding up a really big shell. The kind you can hear the ocean in when you hold it up to your ear. That's when she decided to go hunting for shells. With one glance back at Lia, who was still reading her book, Katy began her walk down to the beach, her eyes scanning the ground for any and all shells.

One, two, three, four, five, six, Katy had counted. _Seven,_ she thought as she picked up a small white shell buried halfway in the sand, and dropped it in her bucket. She stopped for a minute, holding the back of her hand to her forehead and wiping the sweat away. _Hot. _Katy looked around the beach area for a shady place to sit. Some people were smart she thought. Some people brought umbrellas to the beach today. They had made their own shade. Katy used to think it was funny when people brought umbrellas to the beach. Why would someone come to the beach if they thought it was going to rain? She remembered asking her daddy that question once. When he told her that umbrellas weren't just for rain, but for the sun too, Katy was intrigued. She had never seen anyone walking around town with umbrellas open on sunny days before. But at the beach it was a popular thing to do. She had learned something new that day. Daddy had always told her to learn something new every day. He told her it was important to never stop learning. She liked learning. Learning new things was fun.

A little ways away, Katy spotted an area slightly covered in grass, slightly covered in sand. From it, palm trees stood tall and erect. There were shady areas over there so Katy began to walk in that direction. About halfway there, Katy looked back over her shoulder to make sure she could still see Lia. When she realized she could, she resumed walking.

"_Its fifteen nights into October, summer's heat has gone. Autumn's rainbow scene is falling. The day started off wrong, made a few mistakes while trying something new, and came home crying, my fragile heart racing. One day I'll drift away, weightless in the dream state clouds, weightless from the weight of the world."_

Katy stopped walking suddenly as she reached the row of palm trees. Under one of them a pretty girl with the same hair colour as her was singing softly to herself. Her voice was pretty and inviting. That, Katy decided, was what an angel would sound like if an angel were to sing. Katy moved closer to the girl just in time to hear her let out a deep breath.

Following a carefully exhaled breath, Loren noticed the pair of tiny feet standing in her line of vision, fashioned in a pair of white strappy sandals. Her eyes trailed upwards, taking in the sight of the small girl in front of her. In one hand the girl carried a bucket and shovel while the other hand hung loosely to her side. She wore a pink shirt with a pair of denim shorts and a matching jacket left unbuttoned. Her long, straight, dark brown hair fell towards her waist and her bangs were clipped out of her face with a flower barrette. A perfect little button nose was situated between her doe like chocolate brown eyes which stared into Loren's; large and round, filled with wonderment and questions while her thin pink lips were pulled into a dimpled smile as she offered a small wave.

Lifting her hand slowly, Loren waved in reply. "Hello."

The little girl shrugged her jacket off and placed it on the sand directly in front of Loren before taking a seat on top of it. Her eyes quickly darted to Loren's notebook and back again.

Loren, slightly taken aback by the girl's actions, scanned the area around them "Are you lost sweetie?" She asked as her eyes fell on the girl once again "Do you need help finding your parents?"

The little shook her head before her eyes flashed to a blonde woman sitting on a bench up by the playground who was reading a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Loren smiled and fixed her eyes back on the girl "You don't say much do you?" The girl had to be about four or five years old Loren dictated, old enough to be speaking in full sentences, nearly old enough to be entering school and while she didn't appear shy, she hadn't said a word.

She shrugged, again not answering verbally. Then she reached out, her long, thin fingers wrapping around Loren's notebook as she took it from her hands and began flipping through the pages. The sudden action caught Loren off guard, stunning her into stillness for a moment but once the moment fleeted Loren leaned forward, placing her chin on her knees and stared attentively at the little girl whose bottom lip was now caught between her teeth as she stared down at the pages in deep concentration, though Loren believed she probably couldn't read yet.

"It's my notebook." Loren explained, causing the little girl to meet her eyes. "I write a lot, mostly songs, sometimes poems or just basic thoughts. I find if I don't write something down I'll forget it." The girl's eyes pierced Loren's as if asking her to continue. Loren reached forward and turned the notebook three pages back. "This is my favourite" the girl looked down at the page. "It's called Wonder Child. I wrote it about a little boy I knew when I lived in New York. He was probably just a year or two older than you. He liked to pretend he was a superhero so he always walked around wearing this red cape that his mom had sewn for him. And because he didn't have any real super powers to help people with he would help them in other ways, by carrying groceries or offering to do little chores around their apartments. Everyone on the fourth floor called him Stanley the wonder child." The girl stood, grabbing her jacket as she did so and moved so that she was sitting right beside Loren. Then she handed Loren the notebook, never taking her eyes off of it. Loren turned the page, gathering that the little girl wanted her to continue.

_In the instant their lips first met, there was a flicker of something almost electrical that made him believe the feeling would last forever._

Lia managed to tear her eyes away from her book for a moment and glanced up towards the open area of sand that she had last seen Katy sitting in. She had expected to see Katy sitting there quietly, digging in the sand for the wetness underneath and building a small sandcastle. However, when she looked up the spot was empty, her bucket and shovel gone too.

Lia stood, her heartbeat increasing only slightly for the moment. She scanned the rest of the playground. First her eyes fell on the slide, where a lineup of children stood patiently waiting their turn. None of them were Katy. Then the monkey bars, where on little girl was swinging from bar to bar, her knuckles white from her firm grasp but she wasn't Katy. Lia moved closer towards the playground, her heart now hammering in her chest. She looked towards the swings which were fully occupied but the only girl must have been about nine or ten, her bobbed red hair flying every which way as she swung.

_She's not here. _Lia realized. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew she should scream or cry, make a scene, command everyone's attention and describe Katy to them, enlist their help with her search but that would mean admitting that she had lost Katy. That she had failed. And Lia was not a failure.

A sudden cry caught her attention and she whipped her head down to the beach. Maybe Katy walked down to the beach? She must have. Then Lia found herself clenching her jaw and balling her hands into fists. If Katy had wanted to go down to the beach she should have told Lia. She should have indicated it to her in some way. Lia couldn't believe how thoughtless, Katy had been to go down to the beach and not inform her.

Lia slipped her flip flops off of her feet when she reached the mounds of sand. As she walked a golden Labrador ran past her, after a Frisbee that been thrown. Lia jumped back. She was allergic to dogs. Why would someone bring a dog to the beach? She wondered.

She continued walking, her eyes scanning every which way for any sight of the Katy's long brown hair blowing in the wind. How hard could it be to find a three foot child whose hair was something out of a Pantene commercial? Scanning, scanning, scanning and then finally, Lia stopped dead in her tracks. A little into the distance, sat Katy, beside her a girl no older Lia herself. From here, it appeared as if the girl could have been Katy's mother. They had the same warm shade of brown hair, the same shaped face. It was uncanny.

Lia shook her head from her thoughts and started towards them. Had she been a cartoon character, steam would have been coming out of her ears. Katy should not have walked off, she knew better than to talk to strangers. What on earth was she thinking?

"Katy!"

The little girl's smile dropped from her face instantly as she looked up, following the sound of her name. "Katy," Lia stopped directly in front of Katy and Loren, shooting daggers with her eyes "it's time to go, grab your stuff please." Her voice was mean and sharp. Katy's brows pulled together in curiosity. Was Lia mad? Katy wondered. Lia had always told her to stay close by where she could see her. From where she sat, Katy could see where Lia had been sitting through the bushes lined up along the sidewalk. Katy had done nothing wrong. Had she? "Now!" Apparently she had.

Katy jumped up, grabbing her jacket off the ground and shaking the sand free from it. Then she grabbed her bucket's handle and lifted it from the ground, the shells inside shifted slightly.

Lia had turned and already was beginning to walk away and just as Katy was about to begin following her Loren called her name "Katy?" Katy stopped all movement and looked down at Loren through glassy eyes. Loren ripped a page from her notebook out and handed it to the little girl whose hands were shaking as she accepted the gift. "For you." Katy smiled as she dropped the page in her bucket and then she turned and ran to catch up to her nanny.

Loren watched as the two walked away together. They looked nothing alike. Perhaps Katy was adopted? Perhaps she had acquired more of her father's looks? Regardless, Loren found it appalling that a mother would yell at her child in that way. Katy was so young, still learning, she looked completely and utterly confused by her mother's tone. She obviously didn't know that she had done anything wrong. The mother didn't have Katy's respect. That much Loren knew. Katy had obeyed her out of fear, not respect. That fact curdled in the pit of Loren's stomach, turning it, clenching it. No child should fear their mother.

"The album is sounding great man. I'm glad to see that you've gotten back into the swing of things." Jake clapped his hands together as he and Eddie entered through the office doors. ""The label is psyched too. They can't wait to hear the new stuff and for you to get back out on the road."

Eddie let out a heavy sigh and sank into one of the cushioned chairs. "I don't know how much touring I'm going to be doing now, Jake."

"Because of Katy." There was no need to question it. "I keep telling you that you should bring her on the road with you man. She used to love traveling on the tour bus."

"Yeah, she did" Eddie agreed "but that was Chloe was traveling with us. When I'm touring I won't always be able to have an eye on her."

Jake moved across the room, taking a seat in the chair opposite of Eddie. He scanned his friend's face. Every day for the past year Jake had been noticing improvements in Eddie. The dark circles under his eyes were slowly disappearing day by day and the corners of his lips were no longer curved under. Recently, Jake had even begun to notice certain fluidity in Eddie's step, as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. They were subtle changes, but they were changes none the less and for that, Jake was incredibly grateful. Eddie was healing, slowly, but surely.

"You have to start getting back into a routine Ed, and I know that you're worried about Katy but I honestly think the change would be good for her too. You two are stilling living in that house with all of those memories flapping around in the air. Maybe getting out on that wide open road would help you heal. Maybe the music will help you heal." Jake could see the wheels turning in Eddie's head, knowing that what Jake was saying was true but, still, for some reason he felt has if Eddie was holding back. It was as if even though Eddie wanted to let go and freefall into the unknown he was harnessed in, held onto by safety and security.

Eddie opened his mouth to say something but then closed it just as quickly. Truth be told, he missed the road. He missed touring, he missed his fans and more than anything he missed the music. He missed how the music could take him away from reality and put him in another world and yet at the same time, every note gave him more clarity. Sure, music was his escape but it was also his way of understanding the world. It was how he made sense of reality no matter how harsh or how unfair it seemed to be.

"What about Katy's nanny?" Jake said suddenly. Eddie caught his eye, his own brow furrowing in question. "Why don't you bring her on the road with you to watch Katy when you can't?"

Eddie leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands together. "I don't think Katy is really bonding with Lia. It's one thing for me to leave them together for a couple of hours a few times a week but to push them together twenty four seven might be more than Katy wants."

"What do you want?" Jake asked without missing a beat.

"I want my daughter to be able to tell me what_ she_ wants." Jake was slightly taken back by Eddie's answer. Katy had stopped speaking after Chloe's accident, that was a fact but one that no one really spoke about it around Eddie. It was the first time Jake had heard Eddie voice any sort of frustration on the matter. "I want to hear my little girl's voice again. I want her to not be so broken hearted but I don't know how to do that for her. All I do know is that she needs me, I'm all she has left and her needs, her well being, her happiness comes before everything else."

The room was silent for a few beats. Pins could drop and ring out like church bells. Crickets could chirp and be heard clear as day. The only whisper of sound came from the men sitting opposite one another as they breathed.

It was Jake who spoke first, his voice slicing through the silence as he pulled the veil off of the elephant in the room. "You've never talked to me about Katy. Not like that, I mean." His voice was weak, as if his pride was slightly wounded.

As he pinched his eyes closed, Eddie leaned back into the chair, letting out a heavy breath. "What am I supposed to say? That I'm frustrated? That it breaks my heart every time she laughs because it's the closest thing to her voice I've heard in a year? That sometimes I just want to shake the words out of her?"

"Yes" Jake replied, the sureness returning to his voice. "If that's how you feel then you need to get it out. Feeling those things doesn't make you a bad parent Eddie. You're an amazing dad and I know that you love Katy more than anything or anyone in the world. Everyone who knows you knows that. Feeling those things only makes you human. And I know you've been trying to be Superman for the past year so maybe you've forgotten but that's what you are; human. You're allowed to break down, you're allowed to get angry, you're allowed to cry and scream and punch a holes in walls if that's what you feel like doing because you're only human. You're not invincible."

Silence again swept over the room.

"Can I punch holes in your walls?" Eddie asked as he looked around the room, a touch of sarcasm laced through his words.

"Absolutely not" Jake replied as small spread across his lips. The heaviness was lifted. They had talked as much as they were going to for now but the point was that they had talked. It was another step Eddie was taking towards healing and that was all Jake could ask for.

The sun was setting by the time Loren walked through her front door. "Mom?" She listened intently while slowly closing the door but there was no reply. "Mom?" She called out again. Realizing Nora was still out Loren threw her bag on the couch and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of orange juice. The day's events continued to flicker in her mind and as she allowed the sweetness of the juice to dance along her taste buds, she leaned back against the counter. She couldn't shake the image of the little girl Katy who had so boldly invited herself to sit and took Loren's notebook right out of her hands. She wondered how the mother could have lost sight of her daughter for long. She wondered why in the time they had spent together, the girl never said a word. The questions were haunting.

_Curiosity killed the cat _Loren thought and then quickly shook herself from the trance just as her cell phone began to ring. Loren placed the glass on the counter and walked back over to the living room, grabbing her phone out of her bag and then froze.

_Cameron. _Just like that her heart fell to her stomach and she let her body fall into the cushions of the couch, never taking her eyes off the screen. With shaking hands she accepted the call and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey" he sounded the same. For some reason she had been expecting him to sound different. Distant maybe, but he sounded exactly the same as the last time she had spoken to him. "I hope its okay that I'm calling?"

What was she supposed to say to that? "Of course, how are you?"

"I'm good. I'm actually in L.A." Her heart stopped.

"Oh?"

Cameron cleared his throat on the other end of line. Loren pressed her lips together, already dreading wherever this conversation was headed. "Yeah, and I was hoping we could get together? You know, catch up and all that?"

Loren raised her hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Sure, we can do that. How long are you in town for?"

"I'm here all week. Could we maybe meet on Thursday night? We could go grab a cup of coffee at Aroma."

Loren plastered a fake smile on her lips, as if Cameron could see her. "That sounds great. How about we meet at 2:00?"

"Sounds good."

"Good." She waited for a moment and when he didn't reply she took the opportunity to end the conversation. "Well I'll see you on Thursday then. Bye Cameron."

"Bye Loren."

She let the phone slip through her fingers and onto the floor as she buried in head in her hands allowing a small sob to escape from her. She had promised herself that she wouldn't let herself cry over him again but as hot tears rolled down her cheeks and her shoulders shook from her cries, she realized she had broken that promise.

Just as Eddie pulled the car into the driveway Katy threw the door open and flew down the two steps before bolting towards her dad. Eddie allowed a smile to take over his face as he saw his daughter coming towards him with Lia on her heels calling her back. Katy knew she wasn't allowed to open the door on her own. She knew she wasn't allowed out of the house without permission but at that moment Eddie couldn't have cared less. He let the seatbelt slide away from him and climbed out of the car, instantly dropping to his knees allowing his daughter to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what's gotten into her today, she's been hard to keep track of."

Eddie rose onto his feet, all the while holding Katy securely in his arms and met Lia's frantic gaze "It's okay, Lia. No harm done." Katy's hold tightened. "Do you have fun at the park today?" Eddie bounced once, letting Katy know that his question was directed at her.

She pulled away from his neck and nodded frantically. Then she reached into her pocket, pulling out all of the shells she collected and the piece of paper Loren had given her.

"Did you find treasure at the beach?" Eddie asked excitedly as he placed her back on the ground and once again bent to her level.

Katy nodded with a giant smile on her face and she held her treasure out for her dad, dropping it all into his hand.

"Seven shells" Eddie counted "and…" then he placed the shells gently on the ground and unfolded the piece of paper. "What's this?" He asked searching Katy's eyes.

Katy shrugged but then moved beside her dad and waited for him to read it to her.

"Its fifteen nights into October, summer's heat has gone. Autumn's rainbow scene is falling. The day started off wrong, made a few mistakes while trying something new, and came home crying, my fragile heart racing. One day I'll drift away, weightless in the dream state clouds, weightless from the weight of the world."

Katy beamed and snatched the notepaper back from her dad before folding it and shoving back in her pocket. Then, she darted past Lia and made her way back into the house.

"Do you know where that poem came from?" Eddie asked Lia as he closed the car door and began making his way towards the house, Lia following behind him.

"On the beach buried in some sand, I guess someone must have just tossed it aside." Lia lied through her teeth. She couldn't very well tell Eddie that a complete and total stranger had given it to her. That would raise suspicion. As far as Eddie knew, Lia had kept a watchful eye on Katy all day. Besides, Katy was fine. Everything was fine.

**I know it's been a long time since I've updated but I hope some of you are still interested in continuing this story and haven't given up on me! **

**Also, if any of you guys are on twitter let me know! The link to my account will be up on my profile if you want to follow me for updates on my stories and what goes on in my everyday life. I'm also happy to follow anyone who asks. **

**Stay classy loves!**

**-Tia**


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